Razing Yggdrasil
by Director Maliwan
Summary: He was ordinary, born to a family who were bred to be excellent peerage members. He had no sacred gear, no senjutsu, no propensity for magic, nothing. So how was it that he was able to bring the world to its knees? First epic in length story. Pairings will be there. First chapter is a preview nothing more. Please read and review.
1. Chapter 1

**So, yeah this is just a preview for a story I was planning on writing. I've read dozens of Naruto DxD xovers and decided to try my hand at one. DxD really is a fascinating universe. While the story certainly isn't as 'pliable' as the story in other series (most notably Naruto), the universe itself is perfect for manipulation. That is to say, many xover stories involving DxD have a character from another universe interacting and/or joining with Rias' peerage, directly imposing themselves upon the story. Of course there's nothing wrong with that. I love many of those stories. Seriously, a lot of them are well written and offer unique twists. Take "Naruto Chimera Effect" for example; ZRAIARZ does a magnificent job of creating his own unique class in the DxD system and having his version of Naruto impose his will on the story. He follows the original DxD template, but gives his own unique spin (massively unique)…I'm digressing. Just check out ZRAIARZ's story, it's pretty damn good.**

 **Digression aside, I was wanting to do something a bit different than the norm. Most of the time, when Naruto or another character enters or is born into the DxD universe, they make an impact through the strength they possess. Not just physical strength, mind you, but a strong conviction, sometimes they're a bit overpowered, or they eventually become capable of tackling the strongest forces within the universe by the end of the fic, matching them blow for blow. Such is the same for a lot of manga and anime. Eventually the main character, via the means of a deus ex machina, becomes strong enough to challenge a super final raid boss level enemy who happens to be max level plus two. Nothing wrong with that, that's one of my favorite endings despite the cliché nature of it.**

 **Anyway, I wanna do something different. A story where the main character isn't strong, and doesn't become super strong. A story where the main character has no special qualities that make them strong enough to go toe to toe with God-like beings in combat. Make no mistake, God-level enemies will fall, but not as a result of personal strength, but rather strength of the mind. Kinda a cliché statement I know, but I still have very rarely seen this idea come to completion in the sources that attempt it.**

 **So, if you came for an OP Naruto who destroys his enemies in one hit…sorry, but that's not gonna happen. If you came to see a Naruto who ends the fight before it even begins, destroying his enemies before they can even boast about their "unmatched, god-like might," then this is certainly the place for you. I don't write fight scenes well, so there won't be many fights, but that's kind of the point. Naruto is going to Aizen these bitches better than Aizen ever Aizened. Aizen had power to back up his Aizenning, Naruto has intellect, guile, trickery, tenacity, and a cold-calculating personality bent upon achieving one thing and one thing alone…"insurance."**

 **So, now that I've bored you enough, perhaps it's time for the preview, no? Keep in mind, this won't be for a while down the road…or it might happen in the second chapter, I don't know yet. Regardless, I present to you:**

 _ **Razing Yggdrasil**_

"Hehehe." The new trickster god felt his shoulders begin to bounce, the body-parts reacting in a jovial manner to the elated feeling that swept through the master of trickery and guile. "Hahahaha!" Like a typhoon amassing over a body of water, the former Uchiha's laughter began building, augmented by the seemingly foolish statements of his returned adversary. "HAHAHAHAHAHA!" finally the damn burst as the dank, dark, and rather musty, prison chamber was filled with the cacophonous jovial expulsions that originated from the lungs of the new mad-God.

"Oh dobe, I needed that. I really did." The hubris was clearly evident in Sasuke's voice. He chuckled a bit more, still finding the blonde's idiocy (for what else could challenging a god be but sheer idiocy) rather entertaining. Finally, his mad laughter coming to an end, the trickster god gave his former compatriot a modicum of his attention.

"As you can see," the mad man flamboyantly flourished his arms, gesturing to the massive cavernous tomb in which the adversaries now resided, "I have come to finish what you were far too cowardly to even start!" An aura of madness, sheer unrestrained lunacy surrounded the Uchiha, fluctuating about his figure and inspiring fear within his soldiers. The cavern was dense with the madness exuded by the new member of the norse pantheon.

"Ragnarok will come about. I will champion the forces of Chaos, lead them to ultimate victory! "The psychosis of the once level-headed Uchiha had reached its zenith. "Thanks to you, dobe, I now have the means of, not only prematurely unleashing the denizens of Chaos," here he gestured to the rather large wolf chained to the tree root via a red thread," but controlling and augmenting their powers thanks to your technology!"

Through the Uchiha's spiel, Naruto not once moved, nor did he change the expression upon his face. His was still a visage of the utmost calm and collected variety. Something with which the Uchiha found distaste.

"Shocked into a stupor are you?" Sasuke rationalized his former friend's current demeanor more for his own benefit than anything else, a personal assurance that there was nothing that the Uzumaki could do to ruin him.

"You see, I had originally planned on usurping control from you sooner. I thought that you were mad, thinking yourself capable of taking down a god, let alone Loki!" It seemed like the dobe needed to understand the depth at which he had lost. "But then, you did it! Imagine my surprise when you gutted that smarmy bastard." Truthfully it had been a pleasant surprise. It had actually been quite inspiring, watching as the blonde stood over the broken and dying form of the master of tricksters. "I thought I had finally found someone worthy enough to follow." Here the Uchiha paused, reliving the moment and its subsequent upheaval.

"But you didn't take the power…" disbelief colored Sasuke's voice. Truly it was mad, the idea that Naruto did not take what was rightfully his by conquest. "You told me to take the power that lunatic left behind." Sasuke grew seemingly contemplative. "I was baffled," suddenly his conviction grew, a mad grin made its way onto his face, "but then I realized the truth. " A pause.

"You were scared. Scared of what might happen if you took the power."

Naruto remained silent.

"I realized then, that the world didn't need a coward like you ruling it. So I took the throne for myself, taking with it your organization, your technology, and your very goals." The Uchiha's mind, warped by the power of the mad god, had finally gone. The once noble Uchiha Sasuke, a man who wanted peace for his family and justice for his brother, was no more. In his place stood another mad god, like Loki before him, Sasuke had given in to the allure of power and the promise of ultimate triumph.

" _I_ will start Ragnarok. Iwill lead the forces of Chaos to destroy Odin. I will use your technology to take his power! I will take all of their powers! I will become the singularity! I will become the only being of importance! Humanity will worship me! Will worship there one true God!" Mad laughter followed the lunatics rant. His belief in his own power, in the power he had stolen from a fallen god, had morphed him, transformed him into the mirror image of the fallen Loki.

"Perhaps," he mused following the end of his cacophonous cackle," I will spare you this time, dobe." An expression of psychotic glee wormed its way onto his face. "Once I'm all powerful, I think I'll need a consort. Perhaps I'll transform you into a beautiful siren to warm my bed at night. Such a fitting fate for a coward such as yourself, pleasing me while I rule over humanity like the gods before me: something you fought so hard to discontinue!"

Naruto's smile finally slipped from his face. He stared forward at his old friend with a look of disappointment, the frigid calculation normally present in his gaze strangely absent, instead replaced by forlorn pity at what had become of his most trusted compatriot. His next action would surely be one of the most difficult things he had ever done to ensure the reality of his plan.

"You know, Naruto." Sasuke trained his psychotic gaze upon his former employer. "I think I'm going to break you now. You know? Just spare me the trouble of having to do it later."

His godly aura burned ever brighter. With a flex of his muscles, Sasuke expanded the aura outward, layering the area with his ill intent. A quick flick of his eyes back to the dobe and he was there, hand wrapped around Naruto's throat, ready to begin what could only be described as the ultimate in humiliation. He would destroy the dobe, before rebuilding him as something much more… _pleasing_ to look at, pleasurable to _touch_.

Naruto's expression was as calm as ever, angering the Uchiha. Oh yes, he was going to enjoy wiping that look off of the dobe's stupid face. Perhaps a dopey, vapid smile on the new bitch's face would work…oh and he would make the dobe a complete bimbo as well, yes that would work nicely.

"Contingency:"

What was that? Had the idiot spoken out loud to him? A slight buzz made itself present throughout the Uchiha's body before settling on his core. He eyed the dobe suspiciously. The buzz wasn't damaging, it didn't hurt, his danger senses weren't reacting, so why was it so unsettling? Whatever, the dobe seemed to be about to speak, perhaps to beg against his fate?

"Activate."

Pain was all the Uchiha knew now.

(in development and sure to give away major spoilers)

Naruto gazed over the form of the convulsing Uchiha turned god—or rather, former god. "You know, Sasuke," the triumphant Uzumaki's icy blue orbs grew distant, far-seeing, "I almost don't want you to die."

Even had the Uchiha been listening to his blonde one-time friend, he would have been unable to make out the words being spoken to him. His auditory factories were currently occupied by the sounds of his very atomic make-up being torn asunder, piece by painful piece.

"It was a difficult decision to make." The blonde continued, unaware, or perhaps uncaring, of his adversaries inability to hear him. "Planning for the ultimate demise of the one individual who I considered a friend."

Sasuke's screams as well as those of his subordinates—Naruto's _former_ subordinates—prevented the other inhabitants of the room from overhearing the blonde's musings. Not that they cared anyway; it wasn't in their nature to care for the ailing of such lesser creatures as these humans, no matter how much they may have respected the human in question.

"Don't get me wrong, of course," Naruto's far-reaching gaze directed itself towards the ever-expansive abyss that was the ceiling of this leviathan's tomb. "I was never particularly looking for any friends," a melancholic smile, ironic in its very nature, snuck across his face, "I knew from the very beginning what this relationship of ours was." Naruto brought his head down, moving his thoughtful expression, relocating the subject of his stare, to the dirt riddled tile below.

"It was only a matter of time until you betrayed me—betrayed all I stood for so that you could attain greater power." In truth, Naruto held no ill will towards his former friend. He couldn't. Naruto himself had planned—counted—on Sasuke's betrayal. Sadly, betrayal was a necessity in order for the blonde's ultimate goal to come to fruition.

Finally, Naruto's gaze trained itself back upon the broken, dying form of the replacement god. He watched, watched as his one-time friend writhed in agony as his cells disintegrated. The rictus that had replaced the Uchiha's once handsome face would have sent chills of terror through even the most hardened of men. Even the gods themselves would have to avert their gaze from the pathetic form that now lay in front of the blonde god-killer. Yet Naruto continued to stare, unabated, unmoving, unfeeling. This was punishment; punishment exacted for both the Uchiha's betrayal and for the blonde's willingness to destroy his own wayward friend.

Naruto continued to stare.

The Uchiha was nearly gone now. The screams died out as the last of his body turned to light-blue, sparkling ash. Heavenly in appearance, the dust danced in the air, as though it were a dancer performing a ballet. Finally, the dust settled, coalescing into a finite, corporeal form. A blue sphere now lay at Naruto's feet; it lay right where the Uchiha had been.

Pulsing with god-like power, the sphere promised untold strength to those who were worthy enough to take the place of the fallen god.

Naruto gazed at the sphere for a minute before letting a sight escape his lungs. He carefully picked up the beautiful blue ball of untold power, cradling it in two hands. It could have easily fit within one palm, having only been about three inches in diameter, yet this was a delicate situation. As such, the Uzumaki wanted no mistakes to be made, lest all of his meticulous work fall apart at the seams. Bringing the ball of energy up to his eye, Naruto gazed into it, seemingly awestruck by the weight such a small trinket would have on the fate of the world. Without a word he turned to his fellow occupants of the "deepest hell." No words were spoken as his gaze trained upon his new comrades. None need be spoken; they all understood.

It was time to go to work.


	2. Forging an Axe Arc: Part 1

**Hey everybody, so I learned something recently about writing in detail…it's a major pain in my ass. I mean, I'll sit there for ten minutes reading and rereading one stupid sentence wondering if it's good enough and whether or not it properly conveys what is happening in the story. I mean, I'm not a terrible writer when it comes to academic papers and the like, but DAMN this fiction writing is hard! Sorry, I just had to get that off of my chest, this chapter is proving to be a bit of a bitch to write. Don't get me wrong, the basic idea is pretty simple, but having to go through all the character actions, expressions, quotations, etc. all while trying to keep flow is just…annoying. Regardless, this chapter is here, in the flesh…er, pixels.**

 **This chapter is probably not what you expected, hell it's not what I expected. If you're looking for the origin chapter…well that's coming in the next chapter after this one. This is more of an introduction to the Naruto character; it's meant to give everybody (myself included) a bit of a deeper understanding of the mental processes that occur and make up the ever more confounding enigma that is the mind of Uzumaki Naruto.**

 **If you're looking for a time frame, this takes place before the preview.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Highschool DxD. The characters are not mine. The original premise is not mine. The only thing that is mine is any ocs that will die in this fic…that and the plot is kind of mine. BUT NOTHING ELSE!**

 **Without further ado:**

 **Forging an Axe**

The abyss, a veritable sea of unyielding darkness, an impenetrable hold of solid nothingness, swallowing—consuming—all who were foolish enough to traverse its depths. There was no escape from the eternal darkness, there existed no being with enough raw power, enough force of will to tread through the abyss, unaffected by its humbling vastness. The maddening depth of existence could only feasibly serve a very specific purpose.

The abyss, in all its vast empty entirety, was as a prison cell.

A prison for what? There existed a mere five beings within the entirety of the known universe that knew the answer to such a question. Logically those individuals would serve as existences of unmatched power and knowledge; eternal beings whose prime attribute was divinity upon a scale of unquantifiable range. Such an illustrious conglomerate of superior constitution could only be comprised of the four greatest beings within all of creation:

God, the Singularity,

Ophis, the Wyrm spawned before Nothingness,

Great Red, the Strongest Existence,

Trihexa, the Strongest Opponent.

Yes, only these four beings of impossible power could possibly understand what exactly it was that lay dormant within the greatest prison. They who stood at the pinnacle of supremacy were privy to the purpose of the abyss, the perdition to which only the most dangerous of beings would ever be damned. Only these four could ever know…

So how was it that Uzumaki Naruto was also privy to such information?

Line break

The class was divided roughly into quarters. One quarter, comprised entirely of envious and/or rather bored males, gazed forward with glassy eyes, giving little to no attention to whatever it was that had sent their fairly handsome (a fact that was begrudgingly admitted by said faction) philosophical-literature teacher into such an animated fit of ranting .

The other three quarters, containing all of the class's females and the remaining males, were awestruck, paying acute attention to the "ranting" of the blond bespectacled adult at the front of the classroom. Some were awestruck by the devotion their professor illustrated regarding the subject with which he was currently enthralled. Others enjoyed the subject matter itself, finding great value within the opinion of a professional such as their new sensei. The rest of the girls just liked staring at the new eye candy.

"Seriously guys, the subject of perdition is just _so_ fascinating!" Truth be told he was on a role, there was no way in hell he was going to give this up. "Dante paints such a gruesome, monstrous, vomit-inducing picture of hell. A place where only the vilest of demons and devils can live. A place reserved for the souls of those whom have affronted God himself."

A certain red-head sitting directly in front of blond felt a slight pain race through her head at the mention of her kind's natural enemy. Yet it barely registered to her, so enamored was she with her new sensei's enthralling speech.

"In most cases we now see the idea of the Underworld superimposed by the Judo-Christian hell. Something that I find a bit unfair. Speaking historically through a medium such as literature, we find that this idea of Hell and the Underworld being of the same constitution only comes into existence during the rise and ultimate domination of the Judo-Christian belief system. "

A lone hand raised during the blue-eyed professor's pause, a question was readily accepted by the Kuoh sensei.

"So Professor Uzumaki, what exactly is your definition of the Underworld and Hell? What's the difference?" Ah, a good question from…what was it again, Mimoto Asane?

"Excellent question Mimoto-san," Naruto's tone belied a genuine appreciation for the inquiring, something he had actually been trying to bait out of the students. "Truth be told," he scratched the back of his head, a light blush spread across his cheeks, he continued forward, somewhat bashfully, "I'm more of a hopeless romantic I guess."

"To me Hell and the Underworld are two entirely separate entities, serving two very different purposes." Naruto narrowed his eyes and gazed up at the ceiling yet appearing as though he wasn't actually seeing anything, belying a contemplative nature. "Hell, to me, is pretty much how Dante describes it, a nightmarish perdition reserved for the cretins who deserve eternal damnation…"

The resident devils of the class room felt slightly affronted by their sensei's viewpoint.

"However, I disagree with Dante's assessment of devils and the like."

Oh, never mind then.

"The Underworld serves as the home to devils and fallen angels."

Another hand raised, another question to happily answer.

"Sensei, why are evil beings like that given their own home? Shouldn't they be punishing the wicked?"

Agitation returned to the present devils.

Naruto himself gave a short laugh before bringing attention to the question, "Sure the majority of people view the devils and demons as inherently evil. Hell, literature throughout history has illustrated that viewpoint…but I can't help but disagree." Again the blonde grew contemplative, "I see devils and demons as beings who, while typically inclined to selfish desires and decisions, are actually not all that much different from humanity...hell they may not be all that different from angels and their fallen counterparts."

Once again, the new professor had floored the class with his ideals. While many of the students cast doubt on such ideas and others downright refused to accept such a viewpoint, a great deal of the students were awestruck at such a radical assumption.

Rias herself was floored by this man's theory, of course she found fault within it, but she did not outright deny the idea. A smile crept its way onto her face.

Perhaps this new school year would be more interesting than she had first imagined.

 **[Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrihng!]**

"Ah damnit, just when it was getting good," Professor Uzumaki showed genuine remorse for the end of the period.

Truth be told the sentiment was mirrored by the majority of the class.

"Oh well, before you leave I'm sure you all will be disappointed to hear that I'm moving the paper's due date back until next Wednesday. I—uh—have had to make unexpected changes to my plans for this weekend so, go wild. "The class let out a collective sigh at the news, relieved to have been provided more procrastination time.

"Anyways, have a fun weekend guys, I'll be seeing you all next week!" His friendly disposition seemed just as genuine as his eagerness to provide these young minds with mental stimulation. There was little to no doubt among the students as to the reason the young professor came to school every day. He was a born teacher.

His optimistic views and quick, witty humor made him a favorite among the students at Kuoh Academy. Of course he was not without his faults. For one, he graded papers with scrutiny that was rather out of character for a kind individual such as himself. He certainly took his job seriously, weeding out any bullshit and/or ass-kissing that may have been present in any of the tests/papers he was grading.

"Uzumaki-sensei?"

Naruto jumped up from his desk, startled out of his test grading by one of his students.

He also tended to exhibit signs of tunnel vision, this was only augmented when in the midst of grading tests.

Having been startled out of his hunched stupor, Naruto quickly trained his eyes on the red haired beauty in front of him. Rias Gremory was one of the two most beautiful students at Kuoh Academy, displaying an impressive bust size, an immaculate pale complexion, a perfect ass that was only accentuated by the rather short skirt that made up the female student uniform, an hourglass figure further improved by perfect child-bearing hips, long toned legs, and, what really caught his eye, long beautiful red hair (one of his favorite colors) that contrasted favorably with beautiful aquamarine eyes.

"Ara ara buchou, I believe you startled Naruto-kun with your beauty."

From behind Rias, Akeno made herself known, displaying a small grin hidden behind a feminine hand. She gazed forth at the instructor in what seemed to be a lazy yet refined manner…well it would have been, had she not been accentuating her womanly features via her current bent over position. She was bent at the hits, back arched just so to give the blonde a view of an enticing amount of cleavage. Her form was exactly like that of her fellow "Great Lady's," the only difference being a larger bust (traded for a slightly smaller rump), and beautiful dark hair and eyes.

Shameless ogling aside, Naruto turned his attention to the red haired beauty addressing him. Giving a large bashful grin, Naruto scratched the back of his head, admittedly embarrassed by the small fright she had given him.

"Sorry about that Gremory-san, I just get super focused when grading." A blush of embarrassment made itself known on his face. "What can I do for you?"

"I can think of a few things."

Ignoring Akeno's shameless, inaudible musings, Rias made her purpose known to the admittedly "delicious (Akeno's words)" looking man in front of her.

"I was actually wondering if you had my test from last week graded."

That was another fault with the blonde teacher, his grading was extremely slow.

"Ah! I do actually, let me grab it really quickly."

The blonde made his way to his filing cabinet, leafing through his files, giving both beauties ample time to take in his rather appealing figure. He was of a rather athletic build, standing at an impressive six foot, two inches and bound with muscle. Of course he wasn't overly muscular, but more so than the average individual displaying the build of one who frequented the gym on a daily basis. His face was angular and slightly rugged, yet quite handsome, further enhanced by the six whisker marks adorning his cheeks and dampened only slightly by the wire rimmed glasses that sat atop his nose. There was little to no fat visible on his body, a trait displayed by this tight white dress shirt and black slacks.

Both girls displayed slight blushes when he bent over to grab a file from the bottom shelf.

Eye candy indeed.

Naruto felt slightly uncomfortable all of the sudden, turning his gaze on the other occupants of the room only to find them staring at the ceiling suspiciously. Shrugging at the passing feeling, the professor walked back towards his desk, papers in hand. Sitting back down, Naruto addressed the two before him.

"Let's take a look here shall we?" The blond flipped through the red marked document until he had reached the front. "Not bad. Not bad at all Rias-san." He felt the moment deserved a more familiar tone. "A very solid ninety-six. The highest in the class."

Akeno and Rias both widened their eyes, not at all surprised about Rias achieving the highest grade but rather the fact that it was not the hundred that had marked all of her tests and papers.

"Akeno-san, ninety-four. You tied with Sona-san and Tsubaki-san for second place. Good job you two!" Naruto's proud demeanor did nothing for the two shocked ladies as both bowed politely before silently leaving the room.

Naruto's proud smile and warm demeanor left with them.

" **Giving all the pretty girls 'A's eh? I never took you as** _ **that**_ **kind of professor,"** an obscure whisper crawled into the Uzumaki's ear. A slight frown danced across his face.

"I believe," the blond professor's tone indicated irritation, laced with a slight hint of intimidation," that I explicitly informed everyone that under _no_ circumstances were they to set foot within this school." He turned his head slightly, his piercing, icy, blue eyes stabbing the presence behind him, rooting them in place.

Naruto returned his gaze to the desk in which he sat, thoroughly grading the paper in front of him. "Now," the silhouette was startled at the break in the tension-laden silence, "what purpose do you have here?"

" **Please forgive my-"**

"Cut the shit and get to the point, Kabuto."

A fragment of the shrouded individual faded, revealing a particularly average bespectacled face framed by silver bangs. Kabuto's face retained a look of calm composure, however, his eyes belied a sense of fear and trepidation. "T-the homunculi have returned from secondary testing, sir," the silver-haired scientist cursed himself for the slip-up. Weakness meant expendability in their line of work, especially under an individual such as the blonde currently seated in front of him.

"This really isn't the place for this kind of conversation, Kabuto."

Said man visibly flinched, something he hoped his boss had not noticed. "Of course, sir. Please forgive me for my stupidity." Truth be told Kabuto would not have made this specific faux pa under any other circumstances, however, the nature of the news had him overexcited. His own pet project had proved valuable, perhaps even a boon for the organization once it had come to completion.

"Sir, perhaps later we could-"

A hand raised, halting all noise coming from the scientist's mouth.

"It's quite alright, Kabuto." Naruto swiveled in his chair, coming face to face with his utterly terrified subordinate. "Actually I've been dying to hear about your Homunculus program all day." A small smile lit up the blonde professor's face, something that could send a veritable tidal wave a relief to wash through even the most anxious of individuals.

The tension building within Kabuto suddenly tripled.

Oh Kami above, this was bad. If Naruto had taken a particular interest in something that meant he had immensely high expectations, something that had already cost Kabuto several valued and trusted colleagues. The scientist didn't even notice his superior's sudden vertical presence until he was nearly face to face with the man.

The seemingly jovial face suddenly appearing in front of him wasn't what made Kabuto jump, it was the cold blue eyes staring slightly down into his own, promising punishment for failure of even the slightest sort.

"Let's go then shall we?" A strong hand clasped upon Kabuto's shadow-clad shoulder, issuing slight pressure upon the appendage.

A quick smile, an attempt to regain a semblance of composure.

"Of course, sir."

Both men melted into the ground.

Meanwhile a second year student, Issei Hyoudo entered the class room.

"Ohayo Uzumaki-sensei! I'm here for the tutoring!" The brown haired, rather plain, young man smiled, this was one class he actually enjoyed. The teacher was just the coolest dude in the school, a master who could potentially help the boy outgrow his rather low-standing reputation.

"Ohayo Issei-kun, ready to learn?" the vision of Naruto smiled back waving an ethereal hand at his student.

Line Break

"Der Zweiten Welt was formed six years ago when founder and current Head of the Research and Development department and the Applied Sciences department, Uzumaki Naruto, accrued the necessary resources and enlisted the financing of…"

Uchiha Sasuke watched, bored out of his mind, as yet another group of voluntary test subjects and/or interns—truth be told the Uchiha couldn't tell the difference (nor did he care)—was led throughout the lower levels of the institute. Nervous faces and fascinated gazes swept across the surroundings taking in the various white-washed labs filled to the brim with scientists, prototype weaponry, and, for some reason, mysterious individuals garbed in a gray-brown uniform.

"Hn, noobs," the Uchiha snorted, glaring at the tour as it passed, not that he could be seen or heard. "I guess the cloaking feature works," the Uchiha, feeling that two hours of continuous testing was sufficient, proceeded to walk into the midst of the tour—mid tour guide speech mind you—and uncloaked, baffling all present. A smirk graced Sasuke's handsome face, the disapproving gaze of his superior was worth it.

"Damnit, Sasuke." Naruto sighed, stepping out of the shadows, Kabuto following right behind. Once again the tour was baffled, both at the seemingly instantaneous generation of individuals, and the identity of one of said individuals, the founder of Der Zweiten Welt, Uzumaki Naruto.

The Uzumaki in question ignored the baffled crowd, focusing his attention on scolding his most trusted compatriot. "I thought I told you to test the extent of the cloaking ability I installed in your Schatten Gear," the irritation in the blonde's voice was palpable.

Kabuto flinched.

Sasuke did not.

"I _did_ test it," the presence of smugness in Sasuke's voice would have earned any other individual addressing the Uzumaki a swift "disappearance." However, Sasuke could easily get away with such.

Naruto pinched the bridge of his nose, "Don't tell me you just turned it on and off…" an exasperation rung clear in his tone, "did you?"

Sasuke smirked.

"Nah, two hours."

To be honest, that was much better than Naruto was expecting. Perhaps he'd have Bikou test it out further in the field. The descendent of Wu-Kong was always willing to test experimental weaponry, just as long as he was allowed to keep a copy of the prototype when all was said and done.

"That's about the best I can expect I suppose," the blonde suddenly grinned savagely, a devious glint in his eye, "now all I need from you is the two hundred page report on the test."

The Uchiha paled, realizing not for the first time that his employer was a dick.

"Oh, and I'm gonna need that report in triplicate."

A completely sadistic asshole.

Grumbling the Uchiha trudged down the hall, his hunched form slowly disappearing in the distance. He got lost after his first right turn…

Sighing at his best friend's selective stupidity, Naruto turned his attention back to the bewildered Yakushi behind him. "Ah, I believe we were heading to your department." Naruto's demeanor changed once more, returning to the aloof, cold calculation that had set the scientist on constant edge.

"O-of course, sir! Right this way, sir!" Kabuto gestured before him, setting a moderate pace matched by his blonde superior.

A veritable maze of tunnels later, the two found themselves inside a rather cluttered office, serving as an observation deck over an empty large white-tiled gymnasium.

Kabuto, slightly embarrassed by the state of his office gave a quick apology to the blonde and moved to his desk, attempting to organize the files that left his office in disarray.

Naruto ignored the subordinate, instead choosing to stand before the glass connecting the overhanging office to the testing area below.

"Kabuto," the silver-haired young man nearly jumped out of his skin once again at his superior's voice.

"I'm sorry sir, what was that?"

Naruto sighed internally, finding Kabuto's increasingly anxious behavior annoying. "I asked if you could explain the test results."

Eyes widening in comprehension, the Yakushi quickly organized the test results before him, "I apologize for-"

" _Enough_ with the apologies Kabuto. I assure you that it's alright," Naruto's tone was soothing, bringing peace to the scientist.

Having calmed down somewhat, Kabuto quickly composed himself, "Ah, anything specific sir or should I-"

"All of it, if you would?" Naruto's soft tone once again filled the man confidence.

"Of course sir. We tested the homunculi on a myriad of levels ranging from basic human social interactions to human-to-devil combat. All simulations read positive results."

"If you could go into specifics." The blonde interjected.

"Human social interactions obtained an 'A' rating, human-human combat: A, impersonation of living specimen: B, weapons combat: A, language adaptation: A, magic-based combat: B, combat adaptability: C, infiltration: B, Schatten Gear integration proved successful, overall combat prowess exceeded expectations. They were unable to wield the pieces of Excalibur we retrieved, however, that was to be expected. "

"All-in-all the homunculi have proven to be a successful venture. The investors will be happy to know that the first complete battalion will be ready for deployment within the year." Kabuto preened, practically glowing with pride.

"That is…impressive to say the least," Naruto was indeed impressed by the results of his subordinate's pet project. Kabuto felt elated, the praise from the man he viewed as an idol further empowering him, enhancing his sense of self-worth. Who knew, perhaps someday he would replace the Uchiha as Naruto's right-hand man.

"Thank you, sir! It means so mu-"

"Sasuke."

Pain. That was all Kabuto felt as the blade pierced his chest. Air fled from his lungs, refusing to be trapped within a corpse. Eyes flew open in surprise, realization was forgone, replaced by a sense of denial. This couldn't be happening. Blood wasn't pooling at his feet, pouring down form the pierced heart jutting slightly from his chest.

Kabuto fell to his knees, realization slowly creeping in. Betrayal would be the last thing Kabuto would feel in this life. Finally, like a great redwood cut clean through, the Yakushi fell. The cold white tile met his face, his glasses flew forward, bouncing across the tile before landing beside the shoes of Uzumaki Naruto, broken beyond all repair.

Sasuke sealed his blade of shadow, turning his attention to his blonde friend. "That was pretty cold you know."

The Uzumaki ignored him reaching into his pocket in order to pull out a rather outdated flip phone. "Mira-chan? Yes, it's Director Naruto. I'd like you to inform the board of the status of the Homunculus project. Yes, well it would appear as though there are several glaring flaws in the designs. Unfortunately these flaws cost the life of the project's director Yakushi Kabuto. In light of these events I'm shutting the project down. Thank you, Mira-chan."

Sasuke gazed down at the body of the Yakushi. "Poor bastard was dead from the moment he started working here."

"Sacrifice is the price of progress." Naruto's icy gaze was still cast towards the training area, once empty it was now filled to the brim with homunculi soldiers, each standing at attention waiting to be given specific form and programming.

"Besides, "the blonde turned to his compatriot, icy blue gaze piercing the Uchiha to his very soul, "the moment we started this organization we all signed our death certificate."

"It's only a matter of time until you and I are no longer of use."

Naruto stepped over Kabuto's form, moved passed his lieutenant, and proceeded to leave the room.

He had no time to lament over the loss of his comrades, there was work to be done.

 **End Chapter**

 **So yeah, the ending is kinda rushed, but I really wanted to get it out there. The next chapter will be a bit of backstory I guess. Something I've been dreading…seriously this is gonna suck for me. It's going slow I know, but trust me, shit's going down in the chapter after the next one…I guess iunno the first few chapters are always exposition and plot development. So, get ready for that.**

 **Regardless we have our first betrayal, it's gonna get better than that I assure you. The plans are forming. The Homunculi are gonna play a pretty big role, but it's not gonna be for a bit. Character development is also coming, I'm not gonna make Naruto strictly cold and calculating…I mean I am, but he's gonna be multi-dimensional, not a Bruce Willis character.**

 **Next chapter is Naruto backstory and is gonna be long…probably. Iunno yet, it's two in the morning, I've got a headache, I wanna sleep really badly. Anyway, thanks for reading!**

 **Please read and review!**


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